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• Game-Changing Bombshell? There’s a Major Twist in the Story About a High School Student’s Lesbian Relationship With a Minor

  May 24, 2013 at 3:12pm

  Had a feeling there was more to the story. There usually is when just one side has spoken.

• Frustrated Obama Goes Toe-to-Toe With Woman Interrupting Counterterrorism Speech: ‘Why Don’t You Sit Down…?’

  May 23, 2013 at 10:55pm

  In reply to revelation2012.

  Reeeally obviously a plant. We have all seen protestors instantly removed for past Presidents. This isn’t some town councilman who has to put up with this — this is the Commander in Chief himself. Obviously we’re supposed to feel sorry for him and more supportive of his extremism.

  Nice try, Nixbama.

• Warning: You Will Probably Agree With Chris Matthews on This Issue

  May 22, 2013 at 11:24pm

  Except even that is not a great analogy because the vast majority of terrorists are Muslim and a sizeable percentage of them are Arab. By contrast, virtually zero percent of conservative groups cause any problems at all.

  It’s really more comparable to the TSA targeting grandma in a wheelchair.

• Howard Dean: Benghazi Controversy ‘Silly’ and a ‘Laughable Joke’

  May 21, 2013 at 3:08pm

  “The blaming the president for that is a ridiculous joke, the American people — you’ve been beating on this for a year.”

  I’m glad he admits it’s the American people that are “beating on this”, not just some political junkies… A freudian slip it would seem; I doubt he meant to let that get through.

  I guess it takes a joke to know one, Mr. Scream.

• Did Christian Prayers at Gov’t Meetings in This NY Town Violate the Constitution?

  May 21, 2013 at 10:39am

  In reply to holycows.

  “I “de-converted” because [for me] christianity was about the most empty and void experience of my life. I’m the same person I was, . . . I just don’t believe the “god claims” anymore.”

  The thing is, this empty experience of Christianity that isn’t genuine is exactly what we predict, and that emotional feeling is what we’re talking about. You fear having that experience, but what you’ve missed is that it is not at all inherent to Christianity — it’s inherent to rebellion against God. You may out-loud deny that you have it now but I don’t believe you because I’ve been there and I know that emptiness can’t be filled without God, as it’s often phrased. It’s inherent to “anything but genuine faith in Jesus”. :)

  We know also that those of us who finally really grasp why it’s true and legitimately believe it become so filled to the brim and overflowing with joy and meaningfulness. That’s why we want to urge others to do the same sorts of things that helped show us why it’s true because we know the end result of that research is worth it — and to point out to them that there is more to this than just reason; there are emotional “blocks” against belief that must be torn down by the grace of the Spirit and your freewill choice to accept Jesus.

  I don’t do this, as you might misunderstand, to insult and cast off as “other” but to say, you are lost as I once was but I know how you can be found, if you will, and out of love wish that.

• Did Christian Prayers at Gov’t Meetings in This NY Town Violate the Constitution?

  May 21, 2013 at 10:38am

  In reply to holycows.

  “even though I couldn’t have been more sincere about it.”

  Well, we can’t know whether that is or isn’t true. But however much sincere you were at that time, it would seem that once that chunk of your life ended, some misconception or psychological addiction to sin or some emotional experience or the like caused you to stop being sincere about it, and this largely explains why you ended up in atheism. (Although I pray that you don’t stay stuck in it; it’s a “religion” or worldview without hope. Which again doesn’t prove it wrong, but does show that we have good reason to work harder to figure out the truth and find the evidence and proof.)

  “I didn’t “de-convert” because I “wanted to be able to sin without accountability”, . . . I rarely do anything wrong as it is.”

  I’ve never yet met an atheist who would own up to that so it doesn’t surprise me you wouldn’t either, but people can be in denial. From a biblical perspective, being in constant denial of our creator and savior, Jesus, is itself a sin. It feeds the sin of pride, at least on this subject, whereas accepting the Messiah puts us in a humble position of bowing to our Lord. It isn’t necessarily about the lesser sins like lying, stealing, etc. or even about other big ones like hate. My theory is that pride is the one sin that always goes along with professed unbelief (and that it’s the original sin), and it’s logical that to submit to Christ we must throw pride away.

• Did Christian Prayers at Gov’t Meetings in This NY Town Violate the Constitution?

  May 21, 2013 at 10:37am

  In reply to holycows.

  “For a great chunk of my life, I DID “want god to be real”. I discovered that there was no compelling evidence for it”

  See, this sort of statement can’t convince those of us who have seen it — such as “all reality” in terms of the causality proof as the most obvious example. Statements like this come across to me as like a computer program glitching to say that computers don’t exist. Without God to generate this reality as we experience it, you couldn’t exist or have freewill to say that there’s no evidence. Ironically even the statement itself is evidence in that sense.

  If we take reality’s existence for granted for sake of discussion, we can then go on to so many other conclusive proofs and evidences like the unfakeable prophecies, the internal consistency, the scientific accuracy, etc.

  And more to the point of how you started this, I think the reason you ended up in the conscious belief you have is that you stopped wanting God to be real so stopped seriously thinking about the evidence you knew and stopped looking for more with an open mind, etc.

  I understand that even if I’m right on all this, it’s very hard to look in the mirror so bluntly as how I’m being, so sorry if it’s too blunt (or not enough…). It’s hard to know how to say it right, but please don’t just automatically brush this aside; rather seriously mull it over, over a long time, to yourself, etc. It might take years to admit it, if true.

• Did Christian Prayers at Gov’t Meetings in This NY Town Violate the Constitution?

  May 21, 2013 at 10:36am

  In reply to holycows.

  And personally when I have questioned them in certain ways I usually eventually get down to an admission that they don’t want God to be true, usually because they have misunderstood why morals are there and what heaven will be like; having a “phobia” about Christian life and destiny.

  “I understand a person’s desire to “live in a mansion in heaven with loved ones that have passed on”, because death IS scary. “God” [the christian doctrine model] can be comforting. For me, I’m not influenced by what might be “comforting”, but what is real.”

  But it is comforting to us only -because- it’s real, keep in mind. Or because we think it is, anyways. :P Because it’s been so conclusively demonstrated by God that His Word is trustworthy, we can rationally know that its promises that aren’t yet fulfilled for us are trustworthy too. It seems to me you’ve got the cart before the horse here.

  And notice you are now apparently admitting that humans can believe things out of emotional reasons. :)

  I’m sure some Christians might consciously be trying to believe it only because they want to as well, but really in my observation it’s only a minority. (Plus there’s the factor that since it’s true and subconsciously known by all, it would seem that if you want to believe consciously, you do, unlike what we think is vain conscious beliefs of atheists and other religions. Genuine belief is more about the subconscious; the deep down or heart.)

• Did Christian Prayers at Gov’t Meetings in This NY Town Violate the Constitution?

  May 21, 2013 at 10:36am

  In reply to holycows.

  “Not even subconsciously [which doesn't make sense and couldn't ever be tested].”
  Actually it’s fairly easy to test. If someone subconsciously knew God was real but consciously wanted to deny it, they would exhibit the same sorts of behaviors as other “psychological shields”, and atheists do this. Pretty much everything you do comes across to us as trying to convince yourself it’s not true. And admittedly beyond that; trying to convince others (though that would seem pointless), and what have you. But again, people do things like this — they do. And often it is clear to others around them but not to themselves.

  ” If this verse is how you come to understand your position, I can see that, . . . but it doesn’t comport with my reality.”
  Right — although there’s more to it. Since I’ve been convinced by other means that the Bible’s true (and by the way, sound means…), I can then go on to learn from what it says. So since it says this, I can then understand that it’s true. Obviously it wouldn’t be the same for someone who doesn’t believe it; hence why I say I’m trying to explain why we are saying things we’re saying from within our perspective. :)

  But like I say, there’s more to it in this case because so much of atheist behavior attests really obviously that deep down they know it’s true. Many have noticed this.

• Did Christian Prayers at Gov’t Meetings in This NY Town Violate the Constitution?

  May 21, 2013 at 10:08am

  In reply to Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}.

  Right on, Magpie.

  And since the “religion” we’re talking about here is the one that gave a foundation for freedom, aren’t you really saying, Anton, like many liberals do, that “freedom shouldn’t be imposed”? Which is of course nonsensical. You can’t impose the opposite of imposition. Unless you’re a wannabe tyrant. ;)

  They’re just talking out loud, in public, to someone that they believe exists. You don’t, but that’s why you don’t have to do it. That’s why you have freedom. You can talk, out loud and in public, to beings you believe exist, like maybe the panspermia aliens, or just other humans. :P Or you could just say “I hope that things go our way” without appealing to a being in particular, etc. Point is, you seeing someone else’s free expression is not forcing anything on you.